Reply to Williams and Yates: Dust does impact plant survivorship in semi-arid environments: comment on Matsuki et al. (2016)

Williams and Yates (in press) provided an alternative conclusion to the one by Matsuki et al. (2016). Matsuki et al. (2016) concluded that impacts of dust generated by a mining operation was not significant on survivorship of an endangered plant species, Tetratheca paynterae subsp. paynterae (Eleaocarpaceae) between 2004 (the commencement of mining operation) and 2014. However, Williams and Yates (in press) concluded that the mortality of T. paynterae subsp. paynterae was increased at the mine edge due to the mining operation during which large amounts of dust was generated between 2004 and 2005. In the present reply, our objective was to provide explanations for the discrepancy.